During our trip to Tokyo last spring, I had the most incredible sesame ice cream and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. Before the trip, my friend Stephanie sent me a list of must-eat-at places. She knows me very well because her top two recommendations were a place called Rojiura Samurai Curry for their 20-vegetable(!) curry and an ice cream shop called Gomaya Kuki for their creamy sesame ice cream. I haven’t quite gotten around to recreating a version of that amazing curry, but I was surprised to figure out that making delicious sesame-forward tahini ice cream at home is actually super simple!
At first, I had a few ideas to jazz this up a bit more – vanilla, cinnamon, and/or a bit of cardamom were all possibilities in my mind. But after trying this base, I loved it as-is with just these three ingredients:
1. coconut milk: my go-to base for non-dairy ice cream
2. maple syrup: as the sweetener
3. tahini: the creamy star ingredient of this recipe
In this ice cream, the tahini flavor is present, but not overpowering – it mostly lends an extra-creamy texture to the coconut milk base. The ice cream is yummy on its own – just churn it and pass around some spoons!
If you want to get a little fancier like I did, add tart cherries, melted chocolate, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds :). Or if you want to serve it like they do in Tokyo, drizzle it with a little soy sauce!
3-Ingredient Tahini Ice Cream
- 1 (14-ounce) can full fat coconut milk
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup tahini
- (optional) toppings: sesame seeds, tart cherries, chocolate
- Freeze the base of your ice cream maker for at least 12 hours, preferably overnight.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, tahini, and maple syrup. (If your coconut milk is chunky, you may want to combine the ingredients in a blender).
- Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and follow the directions of the manufacturer to churn until thick (about 20 minutes). Scoop out and enjoy! If you would like thicker ice cream, freeze for 1-2 hours before serving.
When you store your ice cream in the fridge for over 24 hours, it’ll harden. Let it sit at room temp for about 20 minutes to soften before scooping.
3.4.3177
Pictured in this post: KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment
